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Feb 14, 2014

BOOSTING YOUR CONFIDENCE

How to impress someone without saying a
wordBy Niiraj R Shah and Vince Vigneri

How do some people appear to be more
confident in every situation? They seem to walk into a room and have confidence
oozing out of their pores! The amazing thing is that being confident is a skill
that can be learnt. Here are some tips to boost your self confidence in any
networking situation. It is possible to convey a confident first impression
without even uttering a word.

Research by communications experts have shown
that non verbal communication, the way you look and the way you move is more
than 80 percent of someone’s first impression of you. Not a single word needs
to be said!

People are able to pick up various facets
of your personality from the way you look and how you move. We are constantly
being bombarded with information and to make sense of the world we make quick
judgements about situations and people. People take an instant mental picture
and make judgements of up to 11 things about you – from what they think you
earn, to your personal hygiene and these impressions can last for a couple of
months. So it’s vital that we learn to create a great first impression.

So what are some of the things that you can
do with your body language that will immediately boost your confidence?

1.
Posture your way to Confidence

The easiest way to come across as
charismatic and confident is to stand upright, with your shoulders back, head
looking up, smile on your face and a have a direct steady gaze.

2.
Visualise yourself to Confidence

Mentally rehearse standing tall and see
yourself mixing confidently and effortlessly with people. Imagine that you are
meeting an old friend, partner or client that you have lost touch with. Use
your senses to make the mental film more vivid and enjoyable. Notice how you
are standing and moving in this film as you feel great. You’ll soon find
yourself coming across confidently.3. A
confidence trick to walk into a roomful of strangers

I often walk into networking functions
where I do not know anyone, but I manage to leave with lots of contacts that
would love to meet me after. So what was my little trick? I used to walk across
the room with a confident posture and with certainty. As I walked if any of the
people made eye contact with me I would smile and nod in acknowledgement. In
their minds they would be thinking “Maybe I know this person? He seems to know
me.” I would make a mental note of these people but I wouldn’t stop until I had
reached the other end of the room and then I would do an about turn and
confidently walk back to the person who I had acknowledged before and introduce
myself with a simple “Hello” and a smile.

4. Dress
for Success

An important way in which to create the
right self image is to dress for success. Use the help of a personal shopper or
personal stylist to help you dress for various occasions. Make sure that you
know what sort of attire will be worn at your next function. Will it be formal
or informal? Dress appropriately for the occasion. Make sure that your outfit
is well co-ordinated. For a formal business function a dark suit with a simple tie
and white shirt with well polished black formal shoes is generally a good bet
for men. It’s better to be a little overdressed then underdressed. A useful
question to ask yourself when wondering what to wear is: “What would I wear if
I was meeting my number one best client?”

Finally make sure that what you wear is in
line with the personality and the impression you want to create. Dressing right
will certainly help boost your confidence.